The semiconductor manufacturing and related industries are constantly seeking to improve the processes and machines used to manufacture microscopic devices, such as integrated circuits. The objectives of many of these improved processes and machines include decreasing manufacturing time requirements, increasing the yield of usable devices, decreasing contamination, improving the uniformity and efficiency of manufacturing, and reducing manufacturing costs.
In the processing of wafers, it is often necessary to contact one or both sides of the wafer with a process chemical in fluid form, i.e., a liquid, vapor or gas. Such fluids, which include rinse fluids such as water, are used to, for example, etch the wafer surface, clean the wafer surface, dry the wafer surface, passivate the wafer surface, deposit films on the wafer surface, remove films or masking materials from the wafer surface, etc. Process liquids are often recirculated in a processing system, to that they may be reused multiple times. This reduces manufacturing costs since less process liquid is needed, and less waste material is created. However, when different process fluids are recirculated within the same processing chamber, there is potential for mixing between them. This is known as cross contamination. In addition to reducing the potential for cross contamination of the processing fluids, controlling how the processing fluids are applied to the wafer surfaces, and effectively cleaning or rinsing process fluids from process chamber surfaces can also often be important to the success of the processing operations. Moving and handling wafers in ways which minimize generation of contaminant particles is also often important. Current systems and methods generally have disadvantages relating to one or more of these engineering design challenges.